John Boyne - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

I really enjoyed (that word seems entirely inappropriate) this book, and it reminded me somewhat of 'Book Thief' and 'Room' in the way it was told by a child, enabling the author to leave the reader thinking of the terrible things which are happening, without actually having to write about them at all. 

I had previously seen the film (a while ago, so I don't remember it well), and I was slightly concerned that I'd be in tears by the end of the book.  This was not the case, as Bruno has no clue about what is happening right up until the end, so, in a way, I felt a lack of emotion - but I liked that.  I think this was also compounded by the fact that nobody realised what had happened right away (it wasn't until a year later!)...not that I'd have had an ounce of sympathy for Bruno's father anyway, even if he had realised. 

Since reading this, I have recommended it to a child in my class, assuming she gets parental consent.  Our topic is WW2 at the moment, and we've watched the Anne Frank BBC production.  The only reason I've recommended it to only one child, is not due to the content of the book (a few of them would be mature enough to deal with that), but because she's the only one who I think would really 'get' what was going on.  Incidentally, this is a book I would have recommended to her had I read it for any reason, not just because we're reading it for PoR! 

Jenna Mills
Deansbrook Junior School